There are many examples of great penitents in the Church, but perhaps the greatest is Mary Magdalene. In the Church there are many categories or titles given to Saints. These titles include apostle, virgin, confessor, martyr, bishop, doctor, etc. These titles are used to create categories or groups of Saints, for example St. Lucy, St. Agatha are Virgins and Martyrs. There is one title however that is used only once in the Church and that is the title of penitent. This title penitent is uniquely given to Saint Mary Magdalene. “ ‘Three saints,’ said our Lord to St. Bridget of Sweden, ‘have been more pleasing to me than all others; Mary my mother, John the Baptist, and Mary Magdalene.’”[i]

What do we know about Mary Magdalene? “According to the old and settle tradition of the Church, St. Mary Magdalene was the sister of Martha and Lazarus, and was that sinner who anointed the Savior’s feet. She was moved to penance by the sermons of Jesus, and one account of her deep, true, loving sorrow, her sins were forgiven, and she became henceforth the most faithful and zealous servant of the Lord. She was one of those women who continually accompanied our Lord and served him according to her ability. [Luke 8] She stood with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and Mary, the wife of Cleophas, under the cross; she was the first at the sepulcher after the Sabbath, and there saw Jesus, whom she thought to be the gardener, until He kindly made Himself known to her, and commanded her to announce the news of His resurrection to the apostles and the remainder of the disciples, and to tell them that He would ascend to His and their God. From the time that Magdalene hastened to the apostles with the joyful message of the Lord…”[ii] There is no historical evidence that Mary Magdalene was the woman caught in adultery, but one tradition in the Church says that Mary Magdalene is indeed the woman caught in adultery and that she did remain sinless after Jesus said to her, “Go and sin no more.” She also became one of the greatest disciples, having the courage to follow Him all the way to the cross, and she was also the first person to whom He appeared after His Resurrection.

The sequence[iii] below is no longer used for the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, but was at one time prayed at the Mass in her honor. The sequence recounts the story from Luke 7:36-50.

What does the sequence tells us about Saint Mary Magdalene, the Penitent?

Praise be to Thee, O Christ, Creator, Redeemer, and Saviour, of heaven and earth and seas, of angels and of men, whom we confess to be both God and Man, who didst come in order to save sinners, Thyself without sin, taking the appearance of sin.

Among this poor flock, Thou didst visit the Chanannite woman and Mary Magdalene. From the same table Thou didst nourish the one with the crumbs of the Divine Word, the other with Thy inebriating cup.

While Thou are seated at the typical feast in the house of Simon the Leper, The Pharisee murmurs, while the woman weeps, conscious of her guilt.

The sinner despises his fellow-sinner; Thou, sinless one, hearest the prayer of the penitent, cleanest her from stains, lovest her so as to make her beautiful.

She embraces the feet of her Lord, washes them with her tears, dries them with her hair; washing and wiping them, she anoints them with sweet ointment, and covers them with kisses.

Such, O Wisdom of the Father, is the banquet that delights Thee!

Though born of a Virgin, Thou dost not disdain to be touched by a sinful woman.

The Pharisee invited Thee but it is Mary that gives Thee a feast.

Thou forgives much to her that loves much, and that falls not again into sin.

To her, when Thou risest from the dead, Thou showest Thyself first of all.

By her, O Christ, Thou dost designate the Gentile Church, the stranger whom Thou callest to the children’s table; Who, at the feast of the Law and at the feast of grace, is despised by the pride of Pharisees, and harassed by leprous heresy.

Thou knowest what manner of woman she is; it is because she is a sinner that she touches Thee, and because she longs for pardon.

What could she have, poor sick one, without receiving it, and without the physician assisting her?

O King of kings, rich unto all, save us, wash away all the stains of our sins, O Thou the hope and glory of the saints.

Saint Mary Magdalene shows us the perfect example of how to receive redemption, reparation, atonement, and satisfaction that Christ offers to all penitents. Whether she is the woman caught in adultery or not she shows us through her sorrow, confession, love, and adoration, how we should respond to Christ.

Why did Magdalene not confess her sins, but only weep over them? “St. Ambrose says of the two conversions that, in the Church, ‘there are water and tears: the water of Baptism and the tears of repentance.’”[iv] “St. Ambrose says, she did not confess her sins with words, it is true, but with the heart and many contrite tears, for she knew well that tears are far more powerful than words to efface sin. It was, besides, not necessary to confess to Christ, the Omniscient, and confession was not then established. We learn from this that simply confession our sins in words does not suffice, but that we must weep over them with tears of penance, or, at least, have interior sorrow and detestation of them.”[v]

Why did she wet the feet of Jesus, kiss them, dry them with her hair, and anoint them? She thus offered to God that which she had abused, says St. Gregory. Her eyes had languished for earthly things, she now punishes them with penitential tears; her hair had been used to delight her eyes, and she uses it to wipe away the tears; her lips had spoken idle words, and with them she kisses the Savior’s feet; the ointment had been used in sinful ways, and now it serves to anoint Christ in advance of His burial (Mt. 26:12). Here we have a true model of real penance. Everything which has served us to sin should be offered to God by mortification, and we should especially use the means, which have occasioned so many sins for the poor, who are represented by the feet of the Lord.[vi]